Dave Ramsey has no credit score and says he couldn't rent an apartment if he tried. He doesn't care — but should you?

Dave Ramsey has no credit score and says he couldn't rent an apartment if he tried. He doesn't care — but should you?

Godwin Oluponmile

Mon, September 21, 2026 at 3:15 PM GMT+3 5 min read

After more than 30 years of telling Americans to swear off debt, Dave Ramsey no longer has a credit score of his own — and he says that's the point.

"My FICO score is zero," the 66-year-old radio host and founder of Franklin, Tennessee-based Ramsey Solutions said during a 2024 talk defending his 7 Baby Steps program. "And here's how dumb our culture is. I can go to the local apartment complex ... and I can't rent an apartment there."

He also said he could "write a check and buy the complex."

Roughly 25 million U.S. adults had a credit file that couldn't be scored as of 2020, about 9.8% of the adult population, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated in a June 2025 revision of its own long-cited figures. Most of them can't write a check for the complex. So what does life without a score actually look like?

Must Read

• Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one

• Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake. Here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP

• The tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028. Here are 4 moves to make before the window closes

Why Ramsey calls it an 'I love debt' score

FICO weights payment history at 35% of the score, amounts owed at 30% and length of credit history at 15%, with new credit and credit mix filling out the rest.

That's the heart of Ramsey's complaint — the formula only looks at debt. By his math, even a million-dollar raise wouldn't move the score a single point.

"The FICO score mathematically is an 'I love debt' score," he said in the same talk. At another point, he mocked how seriously Americans take the number: "We worship at the altar of the great FICO. Great FICO, you are the provider of all good things."

Ramsey also leaned on his company's own numbers. Ramsey Solutions surveyed more than 10,000 U.S. millionaires between November 2017 and January 2018 for its National Study of Millionaires, and Ramsey told the audience that 82% of them never had a car loan or lease. None of them, he said, got rich off airline miles.

The study does come from Ramsey's own company, which sells books and courses on debt-free living — so it's hardly a neutral source.

Can you actually rent an apartment with no credit score?

Yes, but expect more paperwork. Ramsey Solutions' guide to living without a credit score, last updated April 15, 2025, tells renters to be ready with a bigger deposit (often first and last month's rent), proof of on-time utility payments and a reference from a previous landlord. If the leasing office asks for a score, the guide's advice is to be upfront that you don't borrow and pay for everything in cash — and to be prepared to shop around, especially if you're renting for the first time.

Read More: Vanguard reveals what's coming for U.S. stocks — and it could be bad news for this group of investors

A mortgage takes more hunting. The guide points to lenders that offer manual underwriting, where a person reviews your job history, rent payments and down payment by hand, no score involved. Not every lender does it, and Ramsey's own rules ask a lot before you apply: no debt, an emergency fund covering three to six months of expenses and at least 10% down.

The guide also suggests warning hotels and rental car companies in advance that you plan to pay by debit card, and budgeting for any holds they place on the account. And if you work in banking or finance, expect the topic to come up in hiring too, since some employers in those fields check credit history.

Should you ignore your credit score?

Probably not, unless you have Ramsey's kind of money sitting in the bank.

You don't have to buy his whole philosophy to take something from it. The score only tells lenders how you've handled debt, and it's entirely possible to carry an 800 while living paycheck to paycheck. If you keep using credit, pay on time and keep your balances low, and the number will take care of itself.

And one more thing is that the score doesn't vanish overnight. According to Ramsey Solutions, it can take a few years after your last account closes before the file drops off.

As for Ramsey, nothing is changed. "My credit score is zero," he posted on X on Oct. 1, 2025. "And that's exactly how I like it."

What To Read Next

• A single line on your car insurance policy could be inflating your premium by up to 30% — here's what to change

• Millionaires under 43 hold only 32% of their wealth in stocks. Here's where their money is actually going

• This 20-year old lotto winner refused $1M in cash and chose $1,000/week for life. Now she's getting slammed for it. Which option would you pick?

• Need to grow your cash? Get monthly checks from this real estate income fund — it has historically paid a consistent annualized dividend of 8% or higher

Get Warren Buffett's best investing lessons, free. Join 250,000 readers getting Moneywise's sharpest money reporting every week. Subscribe and we'll send you our guide to the ideas that built Buffett's fortune as a welcome gift.

This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Dave Ramsey has no credit score and says he couldn't rent an apartment if he tried. He doesn't care — but should you?

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.